


Beyond the veil, between the worlds

by miraculousghostspider



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Gen, Lore - Freeform, Old Work, Short, ghost zone theories, headcanons, my own ideas, that i think technically fit with canon but if not i dont care
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:22:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24800788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculousghostspider/pseuds/miraculousghostspider
Summary: The world knows when something doesn't belong, and it's not a fan of things that aren't a part of it, so how do the worlds react to beings from other dimensions entering their space?
Comments: 5
Kudos: 57





	Beyond the veil, between the worlds

**Author's Note:**

> I was in the middle of outlining a fic I'm thinking of writing and remembered this headcanon I had once so I dug it out of my old documents and edited it severely in the past ten minutes so that if I do end up writing that fic I'll be able to add this stuff to it without having to add a bunch of background.  
> Considering it's already supposed to be waaaaaay longer than Serendipity and they haven't even realized they're crushing on each other, along with the fact that I have very little motivation for long fics, it may never happen, but either way.  
> (Also I may have edited this but I'm really tired and have a tendency to miss things, so if you spot a mistake please forgive me)

The feeling of stepping through the barrier between Earth and the Ghost Zone—Life and Death, the finite and the infinite—was different for ghosts and humans. To a human entering the Ghost Zone, it felt like death. Cold and unforgiving, causing a shiver to run down one’s spine as though someone had poured ice down their shirt. Humans weren’t _meant_ to exist in the Infinite Realms, and the Realms were different from Earth in a way that was especially noticeable when crossing through. Life and Death were separate, not meant to coexist, and so when Death could feel Life in its walls, it conveyed a message of _wrong wrong wrong_ to the person as though to remind them they didn’t belong there. The feeling of _being_ in the Ghost Zone was unsettling to humans. It made the hair rise on the back of their neck like they were being watched, and the air itself felt _sharp_ , leaving them afraid and anxious as though someone was going to jump out at any corner.

On the other hand, _leaving_ the Infinite Realms was warm. Similar to stepping into a hot tub and feeling the chill fade from your bones, or sliding under the warm covers of your bed after a long day. It was like coming inside for hot chocolate after playing in the show, cheeks flushed as heat washed over them and the cold faded away until it was nothing but a distant memory. It was watching a movie with friends and family, wearing comfy PJ’s and eating popcorn, laughing and joking with the people you love.

For many, it was like coming home after being out of town for weeks on end, finally able to close their eyes and relax after days on end of fun. Satisfied, yet ready to finally get some rest. It was _home_ , and it was where humans belonged.

For a ghost, however, entering the Infinite Realms was peaceful. It was jumping into the pool on a hot day, the shock of cold fading after moments and leaving one happy and content. It was like a bowl of ice cream, cold on the tongue but comforting all the same. It was a cool shower after working out, putting on a pair of sweats and turning on your favorite show. Going to the Ghost Zone was like curling up on your bed with a good book, too entranced to even hear what was going on around you. It was being happy just being alone in your thoughts. The lazy moments between sleep and wakefulness.

Leaving the Realms is like going out in the middle of the summer, when it’s so hot you feel as though you’ll melt if you spend another second in it. Like the days when the air feels stuffy and hot and humid and as though it’s suffocating you. It’s the time when you get up after having had too little sleep, when your head aches and your body is heavy and you want nothing more than to go back to bed and sleep for a hundred years. It gives the ghosts vertigo for a second as they step through the barrier. Being on Earth feels like the first few minutes after you finish a long car drive; part of you wants to sit down and relax while the other part just wants to run as fast and as far as you can.

For a halfa, it was a mix of both every time. As the bridge between the worlds, they belonged in both, yet simultaneously belonged in neither. Passing between worlds often felt right and wrong at the same time. But when they were simply existing, there would be times when the world they were in—be it the infinite or the finite—would catch onto the fact that they didn’t quite belong.

When this happened to Vlad, his heart would lurch, as it did when someone jumped out at you. It would take him a few minutes to catch his breath and get his heart to stop pounding after one of those moments.

With Danielle, she would feel sick. She’d be flying, and her throat would lurch. Sometimes she would throw up, other times she managed not to. It reminded her all too much of when she was destabilizing. She was better about shaking it off and continuing with her day than Vlad was.

Danny would get disoriented. Some days he’d see spots for a few seconds, stumbling as though he were about to pass out _(feeling_ like he was about to pass out), other days he’d simply lose his train of thought or space out. Sam and Tucker did their best to get him back on track, not wanting him to further damage his already suffering grades, but it seemed his head was determined to rest in the clouds.

Despite this, they continued on. Because while their existence was a strange one, they didn’t disturb the balance, unlike many others.

(It wouldn’t be until three years after his accident that one Danny Fenton would commit an act that would keep the Worlds from falling into chaos and protect the balance in a way no one ever thought would be needed. It would be even longer before he understood the severity of what he’d done. Because he hadn’t done it for the world.

He did it for the people in it.)

**Author's Note:**

> My brain: you need to post the boring stuff that gives background so people understand when you reference it later  
> Me:  
> Me: yeah but it's _boring_


End file.
